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User blog:Pinkguy the b0ss/Super Mario World Review
Finally, for a review that's way overdue. Hello my Shreks, it's me DiamondMinerStudios. Yes, I've done it - I've beat Super Mario World. I thought I never could because I thought I would accidentally erase my save file again like an idiot, but here we are. Now, to stop the padding, let's just get into this. During the high point of the popularity of the 8-bit Famicom (which is the Japanese NES), two 16-bit consoles were released to compete with it - the NEC PC Engine in 1987 and Sega Mega Drive in 1989 (AKA Turbografx-16 and Sega Genesis, respectively). They provided a considerable threat to Nintendo's market dominance, so they started to plan a new 16-bit console, known as the Super Famicom. A game was shown off for the new console, known as Super Mario World : Super Mario Bros. 4. It was, at the time, very similar to Super Mario Bros. 3, having recycled elements (e.g. certain powerups) and very similar sprites. Only a few low-quality screenshots remain of this beta version, and they date back to about 1988-1989. Eventually, the game was greatly changed, with some powerups being replaced, some sprites being changed, and a complete overhaul of the map screen in order to differentiate it from SMB3. It came out as a launch title for the Super Famicom in 1990 and was an instant success. It was later launched with the SNES in the US in 1991 and in Europe and Australia in 1992 to similar success. Interestingly, the "Super Mario Bros. 4" subtext was removed in these releases. Everyone seems to love this game and call it one of the best Mario games. How do I think it is? Has the game held up well, and is it even a good game in general? Let's find out. Story The plot is nothing special. Bowser steals Princess Peach while her and Mario are on vacation at Dinosaur Land, an archipelago with multiple different landscapes, including grasslands, mountains, forests, and lakes. He then has to go across seven different worlds - Yoshi's Island, Donut Plains, Vanilla Dome, Cookie Mountain, Forest of Illusion, Chocolate Island, and Valley of Bowser - in order to save the princess from Bowser once again. It's by no means a bad story, just average for a Mario game. I will credit it for keeping things simple and fun. Gameplay This game has some top-notch gameplay, in fact, it has some of the best out of any sidescroller. You control Mario (well duh) throughout the game's many levels, trying to make it to the end of each one. Now, with that extremely short (and possibly butchered) explanation, let's move on to the controls. The say the least, they are the best 2D Mario has to offer. Everything from the acceleration to the jump height to the cape feather feels just right to control. This control scheme is simply the perfection of 2D Mario control. Super Mario Bros. 3 controls almost as well, but Super Mario World just feels that slightest bit more tight and precise. In addition to these things, this game has my favorite progression system from a 2D platformer. This game features tons of secret exits all over the place, which allows for an unprecedented amount of freedom in how you progress in the game. You can make it so no two playthroughs are exactly alike. If there's also a level you come across that you don't like, chances are there's a way to bypass it entirely. Super Mario Bros. 3 also did this to an extent, but it's done a bit better here as there's more opportunities to find alternate paths through the overworld. I prefer this to the more rigid structures of the classic Sonic games, Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, and Super Mario Land. While it doesn't bother me much in those cases as most of those games' levels are good, I still consider this an advantage this game has. Alright, with all of that said, it's time to discuss the game's difficulty balancing. Difficulty The difficulty of the game is very well-balanced, just like most of the Mario games. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this game has the best level design I've ever seen in a 2D sidescroller. The levels are fun and engaging, and the difficulty of them progresses naturally. The game's difficulty is entirely based on fair challenge rather than cheap and frustrating design, which I shouldn't need to say since "excellent game design" is practically synonoumous with "Mario." Again, though, it's not perfect. There are a few levels that feel out of place difficulty-wise. One example is Chocolate Island 3. It's not that bad, but it feels slightly harder than the some of the following levels. More notable is Chocolate Island 2, which is probably the hardest level in the game. It has an interesting concept - the amount of time left on the timer determines what parts of the level you go through. The problem is that the level is somewhat long, and it's easy to get sent to either a ridiculously hard section or the wrong exit. This is a very uncommon issue, and since the game's difficulty curve is so smooth otherwise, I honestly find it hard to care. It's just these few levels I'm not too fond of. The save feature also makes this the most accessible out of the classic-era home console 2D Mario games (at least the ones that aren't remakes). You can save after beating a fortress or ghost house, and will return to that place after getting a game over. You can also shut the game off and come back to it later without any fear of losing progress, as long as you saved. This may sound a bit annoying since you can't just quicksave, but going back to a ghost house and beating it isn't that much of a chore, so it doesn't bother me much. On the whole, this save feature is a nice improvement over the previous 2D Mario titles. The bosses are pretty easy on the whole, being the Koopalings from SMB3. They all take only three hits to take down, and their attack patterns are pretty easy to keep track of. The only ones I overtly dislike are the fights against Lemmy and Wendy. They both have the boss pop out of pipes, but with a catch - there are two fakes. This isn't the problem, as the ones that are fakes are obvious. The problem with these bosses is the fact that the fights are based on RNG. Often whether or not you beat the boss feels like it's based on luck rather than skill. This is only made worse by the fact that fireballs bounce around the arena, making it pretty easy to die. These bosses really aren't that bad, but they can mildly annoy me from time to time. Bowser has to be the best boss in the game, since he is actually fairly challenging for a Mario boss. You have to take mecha-koopas and throw them at Bowser, with two hits on him counting collectively as one of three hits. As you hit him, his attack patterns start to vary, and become gradually harder. After you beat him, it's extremely satisfying. Super Mario Bros. 3 does have the easier boss fights on the whole, but the ones from Super Mario World are still extremely easy overall. Soundtrack This game has one of my favorite video game soundtracks. This soundtrack is catchy and grabs your attention. The instrument quality is excellent, especially for an SNES game. Most of the songs are based on a motif, which is amazing since they all sound distinct from each other. Just like many other games, this soundtrack fits the theme and levels very well. Graphics The graphics for this game are beautiful. The colors are vibrant, the sprites are detailed, and they look great by SNES and even modern standards, since a bunch of indie games use graphics that look very similar. This is quite impressive considering the game was an SNES launch title. On the other hand, one thing that isn't as good as Super Mario Bros. 3 is the game's environmental design. While I really get a kick out of Dinosaur Land being one large, interconnected world and prefer it to the disjointed kingdoms of SMB3, the settings don't have nearly as much visual variety. Super Mario Bros. 3 has grassy plains, a desert, a beach, an island where everything is huge, a waterfront that leads to the sky, an icefield, an underground maze of warp pipes, and a fiery hellscape. Super Mario World, on the other hand, has a grassy plains area, followed by another grassy plains area, a cave, twin bridges next to.... more grassy plains, a mysterious forest which is followed by.... more grassy plains? Then... ANOTHER cave world? Yeah, so that's four grassy plain areas and two cave worlds. Regardless, this is what I consider to be the best-looking 2D Mario game ever. It's not the best-looking SNES game there is, I mean, it's no Donkey Kong Country 2, but I still love the visuals for this game. Conclusion In conclusion, I love this game. Super Mario World is my favorite 2D Mario game, my third-favorite Mario game, my favorite sidescroller, my favorite game on the SNES, and one of my favorite games of all time (wow that was a mouthful). With great gameplay, the best level design from any 2D platformer, the perfect level of challenge, a great soundtrack, and gorgeous visuals, I can confidently say that this game is the best sidescroller I've ever played. Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Donkey Kong Country 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Land 2 come damn close, but this game tops even their greatness. If you're one of the two people who haven't played this game already, I implore you to do so immediately. Category:Blog posts